Functional Neuroanatomy and the Rationale for Using EEG Biofeedback for Clients with Asperger’s Syndrome

Abstract

This paper reviews the symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome (AS), a disorder along the autism continuum, and highlights research findings with an emphasis on brain differences. Existing theories concerning AS are described, including theory of mind (Hill and Frith in Phil Trans Royal Soc Lond, Bull 358:281-289, 2003), mirror neuron system (Ramachandran and Oberman in Sci Am 295(5):62-69, 2006), and Porges' (Ann N Y Acad Sci 1008:31-47, 2003, The neurobiology of autism, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2004) polyvagal theory. (A second paper, Outcomes using EEG Biofeedback Training in Clients with Asperger's Syndrome, summarizes clinical outcomes obtained with more than 150 clients.) Patterns seen with QEEG assessment are then presented. Single channel assessment at the vertex (CZ) reveals patterns similar to those found in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Using 19-channel data, significant differences (z-scores > 2) were found in the amplitude of both slow waves (excess theta and/or alpha) and fast waves (beta) at various locations. Differences from the norm were most often found in mirror neuron areas (frontal, temporal and temporal-parietal). There were also differences in coherence patterns, as compared to a normative database (Neuroguide). Low Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography Analysis (Pascual-Marqui et al. in Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol 24C:91-95, 2002) suggested the source of the abnormal activity was most often the anterior cingulate. Other areas involved included the amygdala, uncus, insula, hippocampal gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, and the orbito-frontal and/or ventromedial areas of the prefrontal cortex. Correspondence between symptoms and the functions of the areas found to have abnormalities is evident and those observations are used to develop a rationale for using EEG biofeedback, called neurofeedback (NFB), intervention. NFB training is targeted to improve symptoms that include difficulty reading and mirroring emotions, poor attention to the outside world, poor self-regulation skills, and anxiety. Porges' polyvagal theory is used to emphasize the need to integrate NFB with biofeedback (BFB), particularly heart rate variability training. We term this emerging understanding the Systems Theory of Neural Synergy. The name underscores the fact that NFB and BFB influence dynamic circuits and emphasizes that, no matter where we enter the nervous system with an intervention, it will seek its own new balance and equilibrium.

An Effective Neurofeedback Intervention to Improve Social Interactions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Several studies have reported that children with ASD are able to learn to increase power in the mu frequency band in order to control an action in a video game, similar to what those in a TD group can do Coben et al 2010;Thompson et al 2010;Pineda et al 2014). To our knowledge the current study is the first time that a group of children with ASD were trained to both increase as well as decrease mu rhythm depending on the specific context within the game.…”

“…The possibility of volitional control of brain electrical activity suggests, provided that they play a causal role in cognitive functions, that their modulation can have a functional impact. Previous studies have shown that children with ASD learn to regulate such brain activity and produce brain patterns similar to those of typically-developing (TD) children, resulting in behavioral improvements ; Thompson et al 2010;Coben et al 2010). …”

“…High mu power indicates a synchronized, relaxed and yet focused state and is assumed to be a prerequisite for mu suppression (Nowlis and Kamiya 1970;Pineda 2005), which is suggestive of more activation of the MNS (Oberman et al 2008). Additionally, in previous studies, training mu rhythm enhancement usually involved feedback that was unrelated to the significance of the mu rhythm or the anticipated behavioral changes (e.g., using the speed of a car as feedback for training the mu rhythm to activate the MNS and thus improve imitation behavior) Coben et al 2010;Thompson et al 2010). …”

El Componente Pragmático en Adultos Con Síndrome De Asperger: Actos De Habla Indirectos, Metáforas Y Coerción Aspectual

“…Los trastornos del espectro autista se caracterizan por la presencia de dificultades en la interacción social derivadas de un desarrollo cerebral diferencial (Attwood, 2007). Estas diferencias se dan tanto en el nivel citoarquitectónico, involucrando áreas frontales, témporo-parietales y algunas partes del sistema límbico, como en los períodos de desarrollo cerebral, debido a diferencias en la concentración de sustancias bioquímicas en el cerebro (McAlonan et al, 2008;O'Brien et al, 2010;Thompson, Thompson y Reid, 2010) 2 . Aun cuando no hay consenso en la bibliografía, se ha planteado que, en el plano neurocognitivo, el SA se puede caracterizar por distintos problemas, enunciados en cuatro principales teorías de funcionamiento cognitivo.…”

“…En los últimos años se ha desarrollado una gran cantidad de estudios sobre el lenguaje en personas con SA (Atwood, 2007;Ghaziuddin y Gerstein, 1996;Hadjikhani, 2007;Happé, 1999;Kaland et al, 2002;Shriberg et al, 2001;Le SournBissaoui et al, 2009;Lewis, Murdoch y Woodyatt, 2007;Loukusa y Moilanen, 2009;McAlonan et al, 2008;O'Brien et al, 2010;Pijnacker, Hagoort, Buitelaar, Teunisse y Geurts, 2008;Rivière y Castellanos, 2003;Segura, 2007;Thompson et al, 2010;Valdez, 2005). Estas investigaciones han mostrado que, si bien parecen presentar una morfosintaxis y una semántica normales (pero cfr.…”